Red Velvet Cupcakes

This easy red velvet cupcake recipe is one that you can whip up to perfection in no time. Top with my favorite cream cheese frosting, for the most perfect cupcake ever.

I adore red velvet. Adoration might not even be a strong enough word. I love a good slice of red velvet cake. And I can’t resist a red velvet brownie either.

Yes this is absolutely pure love-a forever and ever I do kind of love. Like walk me down the aisle, friend. Me and red velvet will never part ways.

Over the years, I have played around with this cupcake recipe and although the original was good, I found it had a bit too much oil and left a little bit of oil in the bottom of the wells after it’s baked.

So I decided to use half butter and half oil. The butter helps to create a tender, fluffy cupcake while the oil helps to make it a moist one. Using half and half creates the perfect red velvet cupcake.

Are Red Velvet Cupcakes just chocolate?

 If you are somehow unfamiliar with red velvet let me drop some quick knowledge on you. It is a buttermilk based cupcake with a hint of cocoa, and of course red food coloring added in.

Here is a fun fact for you from Cheesecake.com according to history, during World War II, because foods were being rationed bakers used boiled beets to enhance the color of their cakes and also to help retain moisture.

It wasn’t until the 1920s, that a man was trying to sell more vanilla extract and food dye that the supposed original Red Velvet Cake was born. Huh, who knew?  And  I know some people shy away from the food coloring and still prefer to use the beet method. No beets for me please.  I’ll save the beets for my salad.

See Also:

• Layered with fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream this vanilla sponge cake is a beautiful cake to make any time of year!
• If you’re looking for a showstopping cake, this Milk Bar cake is the perfect dessert to make for a birthday!
• Calling all peanut butter lovers with this super easy peanut butter cream cheese frosting to use on all your favorite cake recipes!
• This easy vanilla cupcake recipe uses melted butter so it comes together in minutes and no mixer is needed!
• When it’s summertime then you have to make these S’mores cupcakes with toasted meringue frosting and graham cracker bottom!
• Get a mixing bowl and make the easiest cake ever! This Tornado cake recipe (aka do nothing cake) made with crushed pineapple, coconut, and pecans!

Do I Have To Use Red Food Coloring?

I completely understand if you don’t want to use red food coloring. So I wanted to give you some options if you still want to make the cake but can’t or don’t want to use red food coloring. I haven’t tested these all out myself, but here are five alternatives to red food coloring from The Kitchn:

• Red Beet Juice
• Beetroot powder might also be an option- I haven’t tried this but I would add the powder to my dry ingredients and sift as normal
• Cranberries boiled in water
• Pomegranate juice
• Hibiscus flowers steeped in a bit of hot water until cooled

Just keep in mind they might impart some flavor or have some effect on the texture of the overall cake!

And you can also now buy all natural food coloring! How awesome is that? You might like India Tree Nature’s Colors from Craftsy. Or Amazon has a few varieties of natural food colorings that I think are worth checking out. I’ve tried the all natural food colors and they work just fine but your red velvet cupcakes won’t be “red red” is all.

Ingredients needed

• Cake flour – I love using cake flour because it has a lower protein content than regular AP flour which means you get a light and fluffy cupcake in the end. If you don’t have any you can use AP flour, or make your own cake flour (just know this will affect your results in the end). For more recipes that use cake flour, check out my 41 cake flour recipes.
• Sugar
• Baking soda
• Cocoa powder – Red velvet has a hint of cocoa powder added to the mixture. You want to use unsweetened cocoa powder, and not dutch process. You can read more here about natural cocoa vs dutch process cocoa.
• Salt
• Eggs
• Unsalted butter
• Canola oil – You can use another neutral-tasting oil but this is an oil-based cake recipe, which means it comes together easily and results in moist cupcakes!
• Buttermilk – A true red velvet cake is made with buttermilk to give it that tangy flavor, adds moisture, and reacts with the baking soda. If you don’t have any you can make your own buttermilk. 
• Vanilla extract
• Vinegar 

How to make red velvet cupcakes from scratch:

Combine dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking soda,  cocoa powder, and salt and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar. In a second mixing bowl with a hand mixer  or in your stand mixer with paddle attachment cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes on medium speed.

Add wet ingredients. Add egg and beat to combine. Add vanilla, oil, and red food coloring.  

Alternate the flour and buttermilk. Stir vinegar into buttermilk. Alternate the flour and buttermilk mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Beat just until combined. Do not overmix. 

Bake. Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners, filling each about 2/3 full.  Bake for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.  

Recipe Tips

• Measure correctly. Be sure to measure your flour correctly. Over measuring your flour could result in a tough dense cupcake. Use the spoon and level method.
• Check your leavening agents! Make sure your leavening agents are fresh. The key to cupcakes rising perfectly is make sure your baking powder and baking soda haven’t expired. If you are not sure you can test to see if they bubble. Add a a teaspoon of baking soda to a a few tablespoons of vinegar. Add a teaspoon of baking powder to a few tablespoons of warm water. If they bubble, they are good to use! If not, then throw them out and start over.
• Do not overfill. Make sure to not overfill your cupcake wells. Overfilled cupcakes will create a mess when they rise, stick to the pans, and also deflate after they cool. It’s one of the reasons your cupcakes sink in the middle.
• Cool properly. Once baked, it’s essential to take them out of the pan and let them cool on a cooling rack. If you leave them in the pan, they will continue to bake from “carryover heat”, which means your cupcakes could come out perfect and then end up being being dry if left in the pan.
• Frost when cool. Frost your cupcakes after they have cooled completely. If you are new to decorating cupcakes, check out my Ultimate Guide To Decorating Cupcakes! I also just used one cupcake and crumbled it to use as a decoration. It’s one easy way to decorate your cupcakes. Check out my 9 Cupcake Decorating Ideas for more inspiration!
• Use two non-stick cupcake pans. Be sure to use a non-stick cupcake pan when baking cupcakes. And I always recommend having two on hand, so you put both in your oven if they fit (or quickly swap one out of the oven and put your second pan in without having to wait for the first one to cool).
• Rotate your pans. For cupcakes that all come out perfectly, I like to set my timer for half the time the recipe calls for in order to remember to rotate my pans halfway through baking. Most ovens have what are called “hot spots” where it’s hotter in certain areas. So cupcakes that are in the “hot spots” can bake faster than others, so by rotating your pans halfway through you can ensure they evenly bake.  

Recipe FAQ’s

More Recipes To Try:

• Easy Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
• Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
• Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes (With Cream Cheese Frosting)
• Vanilla Oreo Cupcakes
• Lemon Cookie Recipe
• Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip cookies
• Self Rising Flour Biscuits

If you love baking cupcakes as much as I do, then be sure to snag my buttercream cheatsheet to learn how to easily customize your vanilla buttercream!